“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.“ -Matthew 11:28-30, NIV
In this country, we don’t see rest as a valuable commodity. Something must happen to get us to slow down and take a moment to breathe. Even during this pandemic, while we were being forced to rest, we still were thinking of ways to get back out there in the world doing what we normally do – stay busy. In the United States and all the nations connected to us, being productive is extremely valuable because production and sales are the backbone of a healthy capitalist economy.
Although we fought it, in this pandemic, we learned new ways of being. We learned that there are more important things than working, making money, making things, doing things, and being productive. We learned that being with each other and taking care of ourselves are more important.
Today is a test of that new way. It’s Labor Day! It’s the day when we promised ourselves that we would take a break from it all.
Can we rest today? Can we skip the shopping, the extra cooking, the temptation to do stuff we’ve put off because of the other stuff we do normally? Can we rest not just our bodies, but our souls as well? It’s a good day to rest in God’s presence, to learn the ways of Jesus, to let the Holy Spirit renew our minds, and to give our insides a chance to heal, grow, and flourish a bit more.
Join us at Love Speaks Daily for a day of rest.
Prompt for Thought: Find a way to rest today.
Prayer for the Journey: God you love us so much that when you created us you taught us to rest. Help us to do as you have taught us. Help us to find rest in you today, and every day that we need it. Thank you Jesus for showing us the way to rest. Thank you Holy Spirit for empowering us to rest. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer for Our Readers: If you would like to send your prayer request to Love Speaks Daily, feel free to do so. We will be praying every Friday for all the requests that come our way during the week. To send your request, just reply to this email or send it to hello@patriceonline.com.